https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/does-god-know-the-exact-day-i-will-die

Isaiah 38:1-15

1 At that time, Hezekiah got sick. He was about to die. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and said, “God says, ‘Prepare your affairs and your family. This is it: You’re going to die. You’re not going to get well.'”

2 Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah and, facing the wall, prayed to God:

3 “God, please, I beg you: Remember how I’ve lived my life. I’ve lived faithfully in your presence, lived out of a heart that was totally yours. You’ve seen how I’ve lived, the good that I have done.” And Hezekiah wept as he prayed – painful tears.

4 Then God told Isaiah,

5 “Go and speak with Hezekiah. Give him this Message from me, God, the God of your ancestor David: ‘I’ve heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll add fifteen years to your life.

6 And I’ll save both you and this city from the king of Assyria. I have my hand on this city.

7 “‘And this is your confirming sign, confirming that I, God, will do exactly what I have promised.

8 Watch for this: As the sun goes down and the shadow lengthens on the sundial of Ahaz, I’m going to reverse the shadow ten notches on the dial.'” And that’s what happened: The declining sun’s shadow reversed ten notches on the dial.

9 This is what Hezekiah king of Judah wrote after he’d been sick and then recovered from his sickness:

10 In the very prime of life I have to leave. Whatever time I have left is spent in death’s waiting room.

11 No more glimpses of God in the land of the living, No more meetings with my neighbors, no more rubbing shoulders with friends.

12 This body I inhabit is taken down and packed away like a camper’s tent. Like a weaver, I’ve rolled up the carpet of my life as God cuts me free of the loom And at day’s end sweeps up the scraps and pieces.

13 I cry for help until morning. Like a lion, God pummels and pounds me, relentlessly finishing me off.

14 I squawk like a doomed hen, moan like a dove. My eyes ache from looking up for help: “Master, I’m in trouble! Get me out of this!”

15 But what’s the use? God himself gave me the word. He’s done it to me. I can’t sleep – I’m that upset, that troubled.

Because God knows everything (1 John 3:20)—even the number of hairs on your head (Matthew 10:29-30)—we can be sure that He knows exactly when, where, and how we will die. The Bible talks about a “book” in Psalm 139:16 that could be a reference to God’s knowledge: “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” God knows absolutely everything about us (Psalm 139:1-6). There is no secret action or thought that escapes His notice. He knows what we have done, what we’re doing, and what we’re going to do in the future. (Yes, He even knows about that thing you do.) God knows every second of our lives from the moment we were conceived to the split second our souls leave our bodies.

So does this mean your fate is sealed?

Do we have zero control over the day and time when we will die? Well, yes and no, depending on how you look at it.

From God’s point of view, the answer is “yes” because He’s omniscient, meaning He knows exactly when, where, and how anything will go down—including how we leave this earth. Nothing we can do will change what God already knows will happen.

On the flipside, the answer is “no” from our perspective because as far as our limited minds are concerned, we do have an impact on when, where, and how we die. We could choose to jump off a bridge in front of a train, thereby “choosing” the day and time we die. Obviously, a person who commits suicide would have lived longer had he not committed suicide. In the same way, if we decide to make dumb choices like put ourselves in dangerous situations, overdose on illicit drugs, or eat 100 Twinkies in under a minute, we’ve hurried our own death. The person who dies of lung cancer or a heart attack maybe wouldn’t have died in the same way or at the same time if he had made different choices. So, yes, our own decisions have an undeniable impact on the manner, timing, and place of our death.

But! Our choices don’t change the fact that God still knows what we’re going to choose. Yeah, that blows my mind too.

Practically speaking, how does this affect your life?

Both regardless and because of the fact that God knows everything, we are to live each day for Him. After all, if He knows what’s going to happen (and we don’t), it might be a good idea to listen to Him. James 4:13-15 says, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.'”

Make wise decisions about how you live your life and how you take care of yourself. God may know what we’re going to choose, but it’s still up to us to make those choices. Don’t worry about the time and day of your death. It’s not for us to know. Honestly, if I knew when I was going to die, I would probably be so focused on that date that I’d never get anything accomplished.

Not sure what’s the best choice to make? Guess what? God does. Trust that He is in control and ask Him. He wants to help you!

We look to people in power for all manner of needs. Military defense, justice, economic management, and more. And even the best earthly leaders fail on some of these endeavors. Some failures arise from weakness, others from evil intentions, and still others from a lack of wisdom. But they all remind us that only God is perfect and trustworthy in ALL things.

Choices!

Pray in EVERY situation. God Who Gave us life has determined our ‘time.’ On a trip once, I met a fellow believer and all we could say knowing that the chances of our meeting again here on Earth were slim was “by God’s AWESOME grace we will see again on the other side…” that in and of itself says so much!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Philippians 4:6

Over the years I’ve been growing in my understanding of prayer and how God wants to have an ongoing dialogue with me throughout my day, where I am accessible to Him in every aspect of my life.

Through prayer, I invite and involve God into my everydayness. Below are four ways I’ve been learning to include prayer into my daily life.

1. Seize the Moment

Instead of telling people “I’ll pray” when someone asks for prayer, my goal is to take time to actually pray right in the moment, because it’s easy to forget. Also when someone asks for prayer, it reflects openness on his or her part towards God, something that may not be present later on.

Sometimes the simplest of phrases can touch a hardened or hurting heart. Psalm 49:3 reassures me that God can help my mouth speak words of wisdom.

Even if words are awkward and don’t come easy, or if they flow easily, I trust God to give me words to speak that will encourage, comfort, and touch hearts.

2. Let God Lead

Scriptures states as a child of God, I’m to be led by His Spirit (Romans 8:14). Doing so helps me in so many ways such as recognizing when someone is open to prayer, situations where prayer is needed, and how to pray.

In asking the Lord to guide my prayers, I find myself praying in new and unexpected ways and places, trusting Him to lead my thoughts and prayers.

Letting God lead also frees me from things such as feelings of self-consciousness and trying to impress with well-expressed words or phrasing. Psalm 25:6 states that the Lord guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.

3. Take Time

When someone asks for prayer through an email, Facebook, or Twitter, take time to respond. Find a few minutes to send or post a thoughtful response to requests for prayer, trusting God to minister through your words.

Even with all of social media’s issues, there are still opportunities to bring a refreshing word.

Like Proverbs 15:23 states, “A person finds joy in giving an apt reply and how good is a timely word!”

4. Be Available

Let God know you are available, willing, and asking Him for opportunities to pray. When you do, commit to being on-call to pray 24/7, along with being open to surprising situations.

Unexpected opportunities in my life have included praying with a stranger outside an amusement park ride, during a Christmas party, on a crowded airliner, in a store’s check-out line, and more.

Like 2 Timothy 4:2 urges, I aim to be prepared in season and out of season, ready to reach out to others.